After rebirth, she became the favorite of the powerful minister.

Chapter 497 Head-to-Head

"Mu Rong Wei Ming! How dare you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Murong Zhixian suddenly lunged forward and slapped him across the face.

A heavy slap.

Murong Weiming staggered back half a step after being hit. He covered his face, staring at the other person with wide eyes, and slowly turned to him, his brows furrowed as he muttered, "You...you hit me? Murong Zhixian, you hit me? What right do you have to hit me?! I've never had my father lay a finger on me in my entire life! What right do you have to hit me!" His voice suddenly rose, high-pitched and angry, and just as he was about to retaliate, he was pulled back by a force from behind.

"Let go!" Enraged by being slapped in public, Murong Weiming suddenly turned around and shouted sharply, meeting the silent, expressionless face of Yan Huo. Yan Huo gave a look to the guard beside him before lazily grabbing the guard by the collar and taking a half-step back to create some distance. "What's all the noise about? The young mistress is here. Tell me in more detail what you were talking about earlier."

Murong Weiming retorted coldly, "What's there to say? What's there to say? That's just how it is. If you don't believe me, you can send that old man Feng Qingtan to Anshi and see if he comes back alive... Haha!"

As soon as the laughter subsided, he was slapped on the head again, this time much lighter—by Yan Huo.

Yan Huo rolled his eyes, slapped his hand again, and said, "Just speak properly, stop with the nonsense! Do you really think we're just here arguing with you? Confess! Otherwise, you'll regret it!"

The boy, who was usually quiet and unassuming, followed Song Wenyuan around without much presence. But now, he was stern and reprimanding him with a serious expression. He held the boy's neck with seemingly little force, yet Murong Weiming, despite using all his strength, could not break free even slightly.

Yuan Ge sat down on the stool brought out by the guards, glancing at Murong Zhixian, who still stood there calmly after the beating... If she wasn't mistaken, he was quite skilled. She exchanged a glance with Song Wenyuan, rested her chin on her hand, and lazily smiled, "I heard there was some commotion here, so I came to see what was going on. I didn't expect it to be the two young masters of the Murong family arguing. May I ask what happened?"

Murong Zhixian, with one hand behind his back, nodded and chuckled nonchalantly, explaining, "My younger brother was rather unruly and made a fool of himself. But what are Lord Song and his wife doing here? I heard earlier that you had already left...?"

"Yes, I was originally going to leave, but I thought it wasn't easy to come out, so I stayed at the foot of the mountain for a few more days. Today I thought I'd visit a few elders before leaving, but I didn't expect..." Yuan Ge lowered his eyebrows, looking lazy and composed.

Murong Zhixian glanced at it and was slightly taken aback.

Aside from the blind Feng Qingtan, only she sat there leisurely, with the host Yuan Junfeng and the well-known Lord Song, whose reputation even in Anshi, standing beside her. This young court official had a terrible reputation in Anshi, mostly infamous. But seeing is believing, and Song Wenyuan, whom they met, was simply an exceptionally handsome and refined young man, gentle and aristocratic.

In contrast, this young mistress had pretty features but not striking ones. Only her eyes, set against her fair and delicate face, were particularly bold and captivating, as if they could steal one's heart... Her gentle smile carried a dangerous air about her.

It inspires fear and apprehension.

Murong Zhixian flicked the hand behind her back, stepped forward gracefully, and said, "Young Madam..."

Before he could finish speaking, Song Wenyuan tapped his hand on the back of his chair. "Now that everyone's here, let's get down to business. What do you mean by inviting Elder Feng to Anshi to die, and what's this about possession? If you can't explain it clearly, I wouldn't mind taking you to Shengjing as guests to experience the most luxurious hospitality of the Imperial Prison." His words were gentle, his pace unhurried, and his smiling demeanor made it seem as if he were genuinely inviting them to his home.

The warning signs were already strong in the eyes.

Yuan Ge felt a chill and looked up. Possession?

"Smiling tiger," Murong Zhixian thought to himself, clenching his teeth and cursing the troublemaker in his mind before smiling and saying, "Lord Song, what are you saying? The Murong family sincerely invited Physician Feng to be our guest. As for the matter of possession... I had never heard of it before today. Perhaps my brother was just talking nonsense."

"Unheard of?"

"Yes, I've never heard of such a thing."

One raised an eyebrow playfully, the other nodded calmly; their eyes met without flinching.

Finally, Song Wenyuan was the first to withdraw his gaze. He nodded slowly with a smile, "In that case... I can only ask your brother, who is spouting nonsense, to explain to us where this so-called possession came from. Before that, please wait here for a moment, Young Master Murong... Elder Feng, may I borrow this herb garden?" He turned his head and asked, his tone instantly becoming much gentler.

Feng Qingtan, with a cold expression, closed her eyes and nodded. She stood up first, raised her arm, and called out in a deep voice, "Girl."

Her voice was cold as well. She patted Yuan Ge's hand that he had helped her up and sneered, "That old man Murong Zhen has the most ridiculous tricks up his sleeve. He's a rambling old geezer, and none of his descendants are upright and honest... Girl, stay away from these people. Be careful not to be influenced by bad company!" Her voice was not low, especially the last sentence, which she enunciated very clearly.

"Okay." Yuan Ge helped him through the door and replied obediently, "I'll do as you say."

Murong Zhixian looked slightly embarrassed, as if cracks had appeared on his clay-like face. He pursed his lips to adjust his expression and was about to step forward to follow the others inside when Lin Mu stopped him. Unlike his expressionless partner, Lin Mu turned around and smiled warmly and familiarly, revealing a set of bright white teeth. "My master said that you would be kind enough to wait here for a moment."

Murong Zhixian choked, his expression almost crumbling. His lips trembled for a moment before he flicked his sleeve and turned around—only to be met once again by Lin Mu's annoying, grinning face. Lin Mu's white teeth were so bright they hurt the eyes. He grinned rather wickedly and emphasized again, "My master said that you are asked to wait here for a moment."

He emphasized the words a little, but his smile remained steady, and Murong Zhixian could even see the wrinkles at the corners of the other man's eyes. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, "I'm afraid Lord Song's actions are not quite appropriate, are they? Even if I wish to invite Doctor Feng to Anshi as a guest, it is not something outrageous or illegal. I'm afraid Lord Song has no right to restrict my freedom."

"There's no other way." Lin Mu chuckled. "I saw that you, Young Master Murong, were quite skilled. If you turn around and go down the mountain now, we might not be able to find you if you need to ask us anything later... So, we'll have to trouble you for now."

They're all smiles and grinning; it's infuriating.

It's said that you don't hit a smiling face, but Murong Zhixian still felt that this was the first time he had ever wanted to punch someone because of a smile...